Mobile feeder unit for tobacco and like material



Oct. 22, 1957 s. BOGATY MOBILE FEEDER UNIT FOR TOBACCO AND LIKE MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 13, 1953 Oct. 22, 1957 s, BOGATY 2,810,467

' MOBILE FEEDER UNIT FOR TOBACCO AND LIKE MATERIAL Filed Aug. 13, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MOBILE FEEDER UNIT FOR TOBACCO AND LIKE MATERIAL Stanislaus Bogaty, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Proctor & Schwartz, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 13, 1953, Serial No. 373,971

4 Claims. (Cl. 198-57) The present invention relates to a mobile feeder unit for feeding loose tobacco and like materials to conventional conditioning machines and which is adapted especially to be moved readily and easily to and from the different machines of a plurality of such conditioning machines to selectively supply the machines with the tobacco or like material. The invention has particular application to a mobile feeder unit for accurately feeding loose tobacco in leaf or strip form to the aprons of stickand-apron tobacco redrying machines of the type comprising a conveyor apron and chains disposed for travel in a path spaced above the conveyor apron substantially parallel thereto.

The rapidly increasing trend toward the green stemming of some grades of tobacco before re-drying has created the need for equipment which affords a rapid change-over from the feeding of tobacco in strip or leaf form .to the feeding of tobacco in bundles on sticks, and vice versa. The conventional feeds are not satisfactory because the conveyor chains for carrying the tobacco in bundle form interfere with the proper distribution of the loose tobacco on the conveyor apron. To provide proper distribution, the. loose tobacco has been manually placed onthe apron. This method requires three or four operators, and because of the human factor, the loading is not always uniform with a consequent lack of uniformity in the final product. In addition, the operators are unable to load the apron to the maximum extent with the result that the machines are not run at maximum output.

Mechanical'loaders are also'used which discharge the loose tobacco, above the conveyor chains in a manner causing it to fall upon the apron at both sides. of the chain. This method of loading is not susceptible to accurate metering and consequently, there is shallow loading not only underneath the conveyor chain, but also at points along thelength of the apron. To remedy this, a rotary kicker is disposed above the. apron to knock the tobacco into the points of shallow loading. However, the operation of the kicker breaks up the individual leaves of tobacco and causes the loose tobacco to. pack unevenly so that there is substantial variation in the density of the tobacco along the length of the conveyor which causes an inferior non uniform product.

' The most satisfactory method consists of dismantling the chain conveyor, removing the feed to the conveyor and installing a conventional loose-tobacco feed. However, thetime and labor involved in this procedure makes it impractical when it is necessary to change from one type of feed to the other at frequent intervals.

.The present invention provides a novel mobile unit which is adapted to be readily and: easily moved into place adjacent any one of a plurality of conventional conditioning machines for feeding the same with loose tobacco or like material. The unit is adapted to. be releasably secured in place so that it may be readily released and removed to another machine. The invention is illustrated as applied to a stick-and-apron re-drying machine, and to obviate the necessity for dismantling 2,810,467 Patented Oct; 22, 7

the conventional stick feed for the machine, the feeder unit comprises a hopper, an inclined apron conveyor which carries the tobacco from the hopper to a level above the conventional feed mechanism of the re-drying machine, and a detachably-mount'eddelivery chute for distributing the material across the full width of the apron underlying feed mechanism.

With the foregoing in mind, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a mobile unit for feeding tobacco which is adapted to be readily moved to and from different conditioning machines of a plurality of such machines to selectively supply the machines with the tobacco or like material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile unit which may be releasably secured in place adjacent a conventional stick-and-apron tobacco re-dtying machine to feed loose tobacco to the apron of the machine so that there is an even distribution of the tobacco lengthwise and transversely of the apron.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a novel mobile feeder unit which operates satisfactorily to spread loose tobacco on the apron of a stick-and-apron tobacco re-drying machine underneath the conveyor chain without interfering with the feed mechanism for the conveyor chain.

These and other objects of the invention and the various features and details of the construction and operation thereofare more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a feed unit made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. l; V 1

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the unit;

Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the means for releasably connecting delivery means for the tobacco to thefeeder unit; 7

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

' Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the means for connecting the delivery means to the redrying machine;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a detached perspective view of the delivery inean'sjand V Fig. 10 is a detached perspective view of an element of the conveyor of the feeder unit.

The feeder of the present invention is a mobile unit which is adapted to be moved selectively to and from a pluralityof conventional redrying machines of the type describedwhen it is desired to feed a given type of loose tobacco to a selected machine. The unit comprises a supply hopper for loose tobacco and an apron-type con veyor having flights whichcarry the tobacco from the supply hopper and discharge it to delivery means arranged to distribute-the tobacco onto the-apron of a stick-andapron' tobacco redrying machine in a substantially uniform layer across the width of the apron and beneath the overlying conveyor chains. In redrying machines having a conveyor chain located along .the longitudinal center line of the machine, two units are provided, one at each side of the conveyor-chain mechanism so that the tobacco is spread out in a uniform layer across the full width of the apron.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated feeder unit is provided with a bin or hopper 11 for receiving the loose tobacco. The hopper is dimensioned to hold an ample supply of tobacco which may be fed to the hopper nomany suitable means such as an overheadconv'eyor or the like (not shown). In the present instance, the

hopper comprises side walls 12, 12 positioned at opposite sides of the unit framework 48 and extending approximately to the top thereof as illustrated in Fig. 2, and an end wall 13 at the lower end. The top of the hopper is open to receive the tobacco andthe bottom is defined by an apron conveyor 15 which is driven in the direction of the arrows to carry the tobacco from the hopper and discharge it from the upper end of the conveyor.

The apron conveyor 15 is provided with a plurality of spaced parallel flights 16. Each flight 16, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a series of transversely spaced aligned sections 17 which are staggered in adjacent flights to provide effective engagement of the loose tobacco in the hopper 11. With reference to Fig. 10, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention each section 17 comprises a plurality of teeth 18, each bent forwardly at its outer extremity as indicated at 19 to an angle approximately 45 degrees to the body portion of the tooth. Thus, when the sections 17 are secured in position on the conveyor apron 15, the angular portion of each tooth 18 will be disposed substantially in a vertical plane and as the apron travels upwardly through the material in the hopper 11, the teeth'18 engage the tobacco and carry it upwardly on the apron 15 in a layer of substantial thickness. To prevent the escape of the loose tobacco at the opposite sides of the apron, a guard 21 is secured tothe side walls 12 of the hopper and is provided with a flexible skirt 22 which engages the upper run of the apron l and effectively retains the tobacco upon the apron and away from the operating mechanism of the conveyor.

8 To provide a substantially uniform flow of material from the apron, a rotary dolfer 23 is provided adjacent the upper end of the conveyor. The doifer 23 has axially extending radial blades 25 which rotate clockwise as seen in Fig. 2 to maintain the depth of the tobacco layer on the apron substantially uniform by doffing the excess tobacco back into the hopper 11. As indicated at 24 in Fig. 2, the doffer is adjustable vertically relative to the ,ly across the apron 28 ofthe tobacco redrying machine.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in. the drawings, a face plate 26 confronts the upper end of the conveyor 15 to direct the loose tobacco into a :delivery chute 27 which receivesthe material from the conveyor 15 and distributes it in a substantially uniform layer across the width of the conveyor apron 28 of the tobacco redrying machine. As seen in Figs. 1 and 9, the delivery chute 27 comprises a base plate 31 and a plurality of upstanding ribs or guide members 32. The tobacco discharged from the conveyor apron 15 falls onto the upper end of the base plate 31 and is distributed substantially uniformly between the guide members 32 which direct the tobacco fanlike across the entire width of the conveyor apron 28. To assist the flow of material, a vibrator may be secured to the chute, for example as indicated at 33 in Figs. 2 and 9.

The flow of the material from the hopper 11 may be regulated not only by adjusting the position of the doffer 23 but also by regulating the speed of the conveyor apron 15. To this end, the drive motor 35 for the feed unit is provided with a variable speed transmission as indicated at 36. The apron conveyor drive shaft 34 is driven from the motor 35 by a suitable chain 37 which is tensioned by an idler sprocket 38. The doifer is driven from the conveyor drive shaft 34 by a chain 39 which is tensioned by an idler sprocket 40. By varying the speed of the driving unit, the rate of flow of the material to the delivery means may be accurately regulated.

V In accordance with the invention, the unit is adapted to be easily and readily moved into place adjacent any one of a plurality of redrying machines without disturbing chine.

the conveyor chain and the feed of the machines. To this end, the framework 48 is mounted on a plurality of casters 41 and is provided with a handle bar 42 spanning the space between the side walls 12 of the hopper outwardly adjacent the end wall 13. To accurately position the unit relative to the redrying machines, a guide structure 43 is permanently located adjacent the feed end of each redrying machine. The guide structure 43 comprises a pair of tracks 44, 44 each terminating in an upright member 45, which is formed at its upper extremity with an open-ended slot 46. A threaded eye bolt 47 is pivotally secured to each side of the frame 48 of the unit and an internally threaded handle 49 is cooperable with the eye bolt 47 to clamp the unit in proper position against the upright 45 of the guide structure 43.

As stated above, the delivery means distributes the tobacco uniformly across the width of the apron 28. To afford mobility of the unit, the delivery chute 27 is re leasably secured to both the unit and the redrying ma- To this end, the chute is provided adjacent its upper extremity with a pair of outwardly projecting trunnions S1, 51. The trunnions are releasably secured to the framework 48 of the unit by a latch member 53. As seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the latch member 53 is pivotally secured to the framework 48 as indicated at 55 and is provided with an open ended slot 54 which receives the trunnions 51 of the chute 27. As the latch member 53 is rocked forwardly about its pivot, the open end of the slot 54 is partially closed by the lower edge of the framework 48, and when the latch is secured in place, the trunnion is held against displacement from the slot. To remove the chute from the framework, the latch member is rocked rearwardly about the pivot 24 so as to free the open end of the slot 54 and permit removal of the trunnion 51 therethrough.

The chute is similarly releasably secured to the framework 56 of the redrying machine. To this end, the framework 56 is provided with an upstanding U bolt 57. (see Fig. 8) and the chute has secured to its lower surface a hook member 58 which engages on the U bolt to secure the chute to the redrying machine. It is necessary to disconnect the chute from the feeder unit in order to remove the latter from position, since, otherwise, the chute would interfere with the conveyor chain and its feed mechanism as the feeder unit is moved away from the redrying machine.

To disassemble the feeder unit from the redrying machine, the chute is first disconnected by rocking the latch member 53 rearwardly to free the trunnions 51. The hooks 58 are then disengaged from the U bolts 57 and the chute is turned and freed from under the conveyor chain of the redrying machine. The clamps 49 on the framework of the unit are then released and swung upwardly to the position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, and the feeder unit is rolled away to permit the redrying machine to receive tobacco in stick or bundle form. When it is desired to again use the redrying machine for tobacco in loose form, the reverse procedure is used.

It is frequently desirable to supply different types of tobacco to the same redrying machine. In order to obviate the necessity for frequent cleaning of the feeder unit, several units are provided, each being supplied with a different type of tobacco. To change from one type of tobacco to another, it is a simple procedure to remove one unit and replace it with a second unit having a supply of the desired type of tobacco.

It should be noted that the conveyor apron 15 carries the loose tobacco upwardly over the stick feed mechanism of the redrying machine and the chute 37 deposits the loose tobacco in uniform thickness and density across the full Width of the apron below the conveyor chain. In this manner, the unit may be used with conventional stick-and-apron machines without disturbing the structure of the machine. For redrying machines having conveyor chains disposed above the longitudinal center line of the apron, two units such as described above are employed, one at each side of the conveyor chain. The frameworks of the units are positioned at opposite sides of the conveyor chain drive and the flared lower extremities of the delivery chutes meet beneath the chain so as to distribute the tobacco uniformly across the full width of the conveyor apron.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to tobacco handling, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure, and changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. For handling loose material, a mobile feeder unit adapted to be readily movable to and from a position adjacent the feed end of a selected one of a plurality of material processing machines, said unit comprising a mobile frame, a hopper on said frame open at the top to receive the material, an apron conveyor having one end disposed beneath said hopper operable to receive the material therefrom and convey the same for discharge at the other end of said conveyor, means to drive said conveyor at a predetermined speed to thereby discharge the material from the conveyor at a given rate, and a delivery chute having one end underlying the other end of said conveyor to receive the material discharged therefrom and affording distribution of the material from its other end, said chute at its one end being coextensive in width with the conveyor, and flaring outwardly at its other end to a substantially greater width, a vibrator mounted on said chute to assist the flow of material from said one end to the other, and a plurality of outwardly projecting longitudinal guide elements in said chute operable to distribute the material received at the one end fan-like across the full width of the other end of the chute.

2. For handling loose material, a mobile feeder unit adapted to be readily movable to and from a position adjacent the feed end of a selected one of a plurality of material processing machines, said unit comprising a mobile frame, a hopper on said frame open at the top to receive the material, an apron conveyor having one end disposed beneath said hopper operable to receive the material therefrom and convey the same for discharge at the other end of said conveyor, said conveyor having a plurality of spaced parallel saw tooth flights, each comprising transversely spaced aligned sections consisting of a plurality of teeth each bent forwardly at its outer extremity at a substantial angle to the body portion thereof, the sections of each flight being positioned in longitudinal alignment with the spaces intermediate the sections of the adjacent flight a rotary doffer spaced above the conveyor adjacent the other end thereof and operable to dofi back into the hopper excess material above a predetermined depth on the conveyor, means to drive said conveyor and Said dofier at predetermined speeds to thereby discharge the material from the conveyor at a given rate, and a delivery chute having one end underlying the other end of said conveyor to receive the material discharged therefrom and affording distribution of the material from its other end, said chute at its one end being coextensive in width with the conveyor and flaring outwardly at its other end. to a substantially greater width, and a plurality of outwardly projecting longitudinal guide elements in said chute operable to distribute the material received at the one end fan-like across the full width of the other end of the chute.

3. For handling loose material, a mobile feeder unit adapted to be readily movable to and from a position adjacent the feed end of a selected one of a plurality of material processing machines, said unit comprising a mobile frame, a hopper on said frame open at the top to receive the material, an apron conveyor having one end disposed beneath said hopper operable to receive the material therefrom and convey the same for discharge at the other end of said conveyor, saidconveyorhaving a plurality of spaced parallel saw toothflights, each comprising transversely spaced aligned sections consisting of a plurality of teeth each bent forwardly at its outer extremity at a substantial angle to the body portion thereof, the sections of each flight being positioned in longitudinal alignment with the spaces intermediate the sections of the adjacent flight a rotary dofler spaced above the conveyor adjacent the other end thereof and operable to dofi back into the hopper excess material above a predetermined depth on the conveyor, means adjustably mounting said doffer for limited movement relative to said conveyor, means to drive said conveyor and said dofler at predetermined speeds to thereby discharge the material from the conveyor at a given rate, means to regulate the speed of said drive means, and a delivery chute having one end underlying the other end of said conveyor to receive the material discharged therefrom and affording distribution of the material from its other end, said chute at its one end being coextensive in width with the conveyor, and flaring outwardly at its other end to a substantially greater width, a vibrator mounted on said chute to assist the flow of material from said one end to the other, and a plurality of outwardly projecting longitudinal guide elements in said chute operable to distribute the material received at the one end fan-like across the full width of the other end of the chute.

4. For feeding loose tobacco to a chain and apron tobacco treating machine having a continuous endless apron conveyor and a chain spaced outwardly therefrom and overlying an upper horizontal run thereof, a mobile feeder unit adapted to be readily moved to and from a position adjacent the feed end of a selected one of a plurality of said tobacco treating machines, said unit comprising a mobile frame, a hopper on said frame open at the top to receive the tobacco, an apron conveyor having one end disposed beneath said hopper operable to receive the loose tobacco therefrom and convey the same for discharge at the other end of said conveyor, said conveyor having a plurality of spaced parallel saw tooth flights, each comprising transversely spaced aligned sections consisting of a plurality of teeth each bent forwardly at its outer extremity at a substantial angle to the body portion thereof, the sections of each flight being positioned in longitudinal alignment with the spaces intermediate the sections of the adjacent flights, a rotary doffer spaced above the conveyor adjacent the other end thereof and operable to doif back into the hopper excess material above a predetermined depth on the conveyor, means adjustably mounting said doifer for limited movement relative to the conveyor, means to drive said conveyor and said doifer at predetermined speeds to thereby discharge the tobacco from the conveyor at a given rate, means to regulate the speed of said drive means, and a delivery chute having one end underlying the other end of said conveyor to receive the tobacco discharged therefrom and affording distribution of the tobacco from its other end, said chute at its one end being coextensive in width with the conveyor and flaring outwardly at its other end to a substantially greater width, said other end being operable to project laterally between the endless apron conveyor and the chain of said tobacco treating machine, a vibrator mounted on said chute to assist the flow of tobacco from said one end to the other, and a plurality of outwardly projecting longitudinal guide elements in said chute operable to distribute the tobacco received at one end fan-like across the full width of the other end of the chute and onto the conveyor of said treating machine below the chain thereof.

(References on following page) 7 8 Referencgs Cited in the file of this patent 430,372 Baker June 17, 1890 3' "1,430,391 gMoore Sept.26, 1922 UNI D STATES PATENTS 1 -1',527 486 Manierre Feb. 24, 1925 238,734 Underwood Mar. 8, 1881 305510 Bri n Jan. .18, 1938 308568 Mumford m1 Nov. 25, 1834 5 2 ;j209,340 j L ndry July so, 1940 

